After my encounter in the woods I had begun to shy from my daily walks. Left with nothing that could empty my mind I had taken to sitting on my back porch and staring into the valley it overlooked.
It used to be active, with children running over the hills and animals shying away from the noise, creeping low in the grass. Now it was silent and gray. The flowers that were once saturated with color had become dull. They still bloomed but there was no life in their petals. I could see the grass swaying in the wind, but I couldn’t hear the birds calling to one another.
I shifted uneasily. It was Spring, yet everything felt like it was sleeping.
or fading.
I saw a faint movement coming over the hill. Whatever it was, its movement was stilted like it didn’t have any joints. I stood up and, with hesitation, and moved off of my porch. I was still unclear as to what it was, but I could feel it was in pain.
As I drew closer the movement began to take shape.
It was a doe.
I breathed in sharply. Deer were common in the valley but I hadn’t seen one in what felt like months. Usually in the Spring they would be bounding over the hills, showing off to each other and teaching their fawns how to enjoy the long grass.
But this doe. Her movements lacked the usual fluidity. she was stiff as if she didn’t have joints. Her head bend down low and she struggled as if she was carrying a heavy load. Where she had fur it shone with sweat, where there was no fur her skin was red and cracked from the sun.
And then I heard the cry.
A fawn struggled over the hill, following its mother, the doe. Its eyes were begging its mother to slow.
As it grew closer to its mom it let out another cry, but the mother didn’t seem to hear. She was too busy trying to take one step forward, concentrating on her journey forward.
Then another movement caught my eye.
This one was like water. As if a small river had cut across the horizon.
It was a boy.
His movements brought the light that had been missing from the valley. He cartwheeled and flipped, motions that radiated joy that was missing from the scene in front of me. I was conflicted. Who was he and why was he following this sad scene with such happiness. Had he come to torment them?
Then the doe fell.
The boy was upon them and I felt my body lunge forward. I’m not sure what was running through my head as I closed the gap between us, but I felt pulled.
Then I watched as the boy scooped up the fawn and slowly knelt down by the doe, gently placing his hand on the doe’s forehead. She let out a slight shudder at his touch.
“Rest now.” I heard him calmly mutter.
Her eyes closed, her scarred body rising and falling with every breath. I was afraid for a moment, but she simply fell into a deep sleep. Her body settling into peace.
The boy gently lay the fawn next to her. It snuggled against its mother, and I heard it let out a gentle noise almost as if it were singing. Soon it too was sleeping.
The boy looked at me, curiously. His eyes felt fiercely calm.
I thought I knew everyone in my town. I was learning quickly that I was mistaken.
I’d never seen this boy before.